Rail-joint.



- .Be tgknownthat I, HENRYA.

STATES PATENT ormoni.

HENRY A. CHRISTY, F KENILWQRTH, ILLINOIS.

To all whom lt-may concerna- CHRISTY,

.a citiie'ii Vof the United States, residing at -Kenilworth, in thecounty of Cook and State oflllinois, have invented certain new and V;useful- Improvements in `Rail-Joints, of

' which the followingis a specication.

- necessary to maintain the proper alinenient" It hasheretofore been considered advisj able, if not quite necessary, Ato make` the joints ofrailway tracks as rigid and irm as circumstances might permit, -the theory being that such rigidity ofconnection was clamping members .have ordinarily been suported byfthe ties proper to secure a proper oundation and 'support for the joint. In

ysome cases concret'eor other solid piers have been -built beneath the joints .'to hold the saine rigidly and' ixedly -in position. The use of'concrete or otherV similar hard roadbeds has also been considered. Ihave discovered, however, that these practices are not such as-,to secure the best conditions in service and consequently it is one of the leading `aims and objects of this invention to preserve as ,inuch as possible the natural elasticity andfiexibility of the rails so that the shoclisvand jars of the trains passing over, the "saine,l and particularly over the joints, mayk be absorbed and dissipated by the resiliency of the rails themselves. Consequently, in accordance with the principles ofthisinventioii, I make the fish plates or clamping members relatively jshort and dispose thev rail joints between the tics or vsleepers and do not directly support the clamps ontliese ties or Aany other .compara`- tivel frigid members. #Considerable attention as heretofore been paid to the support of the rail heads at the joints and not infrequently'have means' been prvided to support the overhanging ortions of the heads over the base flanges .the rail. Iuconsider this practice entirely-unnecessaryeand undesirable and in my improved means for maintaining the rails in line, I support the ends by clam ing members projecting beneath the ras, such bottom ortions or parts of the' clamps having su'icient body BAIL-JOINT.

, Y Specification of Letters .Patent Application led August 4, 1910.A .SeriaINo. 575,536.

Patented Nov. 29, '1910.

to actas the` su portingmeans for thel rail ends thus there yjpreveiiting any. substantial vertical movement of the rails relatively to one. another. These clamp members also have side portions disposed von opposite sides..

`of the Webs of the rails `which actto main- 'tain the horizontal alinementof the rails. The clamping members in addition. preferably have 'a wedge coiineetionvvith the bases of the rails and are supplied with wooden or other fillers between their upstanding portions and Webs of the rails, the clamps `being held-in operativel position by means of a suitable number of boltspassed therethrough. These clamping or securing meinbers are out of contact with the heads ofA the railsand with -the/edged portions of the rail bases. These and other advantages of my inventionwill be more a parent by reference to the accompanying rawings which show preferred embodiments of my improvenients, and in which,

- Figure 1 'is a side elevation' shovvingthet rail joint-applied tol the 'ends of two ladjacentrails; Fig. 2 is a transverse vert-ical section on the line 2;2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view l similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modi-tied lforni of rail joint; Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 1 -4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig.' 5 is a reducedv side elevation showing;

the rail joint in connection with the 'ends' of" the adjacent rails and occupying a position] l, between adjacent tie's.

The adjacent rails 10, 10 are provided 'as L90 is usual, With the heads 11, 11 and the flanges 12, 12. In the preferred form of my rail jointa metallic plate 13 ,is placed be- 4 12,4 1210i the adjacent rails and occupies'a" position just below the plate 13. 'Inserted between theupstanding portions 15, A15 of' the clamping-members and the'webs of the rails 10,10 are the fillers 17, 17 which' are preferablymadeof Wood or. some similar compressible material.

.The iip'standing` portions clamping members are connected with each other by means of the bolts 18, provided' with the nuts 18, whch pass through the fillers 17 and suitable apertures'in 4the webs of the adjacent rails 10, 10. The base pori5, 15 of )the 'i tions 16 of thel clamping members are also connected by means of the bolts 19, )rorails'betu-'een adjacent ties 20,- thus forming.

. a rail joint with norigid support directly Each of the clamping members 14 engages thel upper portion of the -flange 12 of each rail and is so formed that vacant spaces-21 occur between the'edges ofthe flanges 12 and the clamping members.' It will, there--v fore, `be apparent that on tightening the nuts 18a. and'19a-used in connection with the bolts 18 and19, the-clamping members will be drawn together exerting -awedoing ac-V tion on the'fl'anges of the-rails. The plate 13 beneath these 'flanges is for the purpose of enabling the bend in each clamping member to be of greater height inasmuch as the.'

process of forming the clamps is greatly facilitated thereby. l

' It will be noted that the upper ends of the upstanding' portions '15 ofthe clamps do not come in contact `withi'he4 lower 'surface of theheads l1 0f the. rails. 4Lhave' found that such contact and the supporting con-. l nection which is ordinarily furnished by thefish plate is. entirely unnecessary, and'. I therefore, confine the clamping connection between the' adjacent ends of 'the rails' to theV flanges and webs of the same.

In Figs. 3 and 4; :I have illustrated a forni .of clampingmember which is similar to that described in connection with Figs.'1. and 2 except thatv no plate 13 is used beneath the flanges of the' rails'.- As explained above, l preferito use the modification of my invention which is described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, but I can readily use the modification showninFigs. 3 and 4 if for any ,reason such a construction is considered.

more advisable. y

It will be apparent from the foregoing, description that the two adjacent rails are connected in such manner that the resiliency which is found between ties is retained at Athe joints. This is a great advantage inasmuchr as the ends of the rails `bend in unison and the car'wheels have no opportunity of striking the end of one rail on leaving the adjacent rail which is depressed by the weight of .the car.

It will-be clear to Ithose' skilled inthe art that considerable departure could be made from the exact structure which I have ilehaving upstanding portions on opposite sides of the rail Websf-and means" to fabien' said members togethen said memberslbeing out of contact Withftlie heads and webs ot' the rails and the edge portions of the base flanges, substantially as described.

2. In a rail joint, the combination of a pair of clamping members adapted tor ivedging 'engagement with vthe base vflanges of the' ends of the adjacent:rails, the portions of said members Abelow said base flanges being of substantial thickness, said Vmem- .bers having upstanding portions upon` opposite sides of the rail webs, and means cop- 'erating with the portions of said 'members belownsaid base`iianges adapted to"'clamp said members together, said .members being out of contact with the'heads and Webs of the rails :and the'edge portions of the base flanges..

3. In a'- rail joint, the combination of a pair of clamping members adapted vfor wedging engagement witli'the base flanges of the endso adjacent rails, said members having upstanding portions on opposite sides of the rail -webs,-'co1'npressible fillers between said`upstanding portions and the opposite sides of the rail webs, and 4means to fasten said members together, said members being out 'of contact with the heads and webs of the rails and the edgeportions of the base anges.

,4.-In a'rail joint, the combination of a pair of clamping- Amembers adapted for wedging engagement-with the base flanges of the, ends of adjacent'rails, said members having horizontal-rail supporting portions ofsubstantial thickness-adapted to be disposed beneath the base anges of the rails, said members having upstandinoportions on opposite sides of the rail webs, olts extendwith the heads and webs of the rails' and thc edge portions of the v base flanges.

HENRY A.A CHRISTY. Witnesses:

- HENRY M. HUXLEY,

Mm W. RosENow.

.los

-gether, said members being out of'A cb'xltactj 

